Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In an effort to provide more support for special education families, members of the community recently gathered for a Staten Island resource fair to help inform parents and enable students to thrive. The Include D31 Special Education Family Resource Fair was held Thursday at the Borough President’s Hall of Science at the Michael J. Petrides Campus in Sunnyside. The event focused on efforts to improve special education in Staten Island’s District 31, which encompasses all general education schools in the borough. “Today is part of my vision to not only building capacity of our schools to empower parents and inform parents of their rights and resources that are available to them, but also to give you the firsthand experience of getting that information,” said Dr. Roderick Palton, superintendent of District 31. The fair emphasized the importance of empowering parents and ensuring that children with Individualized Education plans can thrive independently. According to Darlyne Aristide-Degramont, district lead for MSK-SI and director of special education for District 31, more than 13,300 students on Staten Island have an IEP — with most plans covering speech or language impairments, learning disabilities, and those with autism. The goal, education leaders said, is to transition students to less restrictive settings and ensure they receive necessary services without disrupting their education. “What we want to do is figure out how we can get our kids with IEPs to be the most independent that they could be, how we can keep them in our district so that parents don’t feel like they have to go to District 75 to get what they need,” said Palton. “Every child in District 31 should be able to get their services in District 31, and every child should have a plan and a pathway toward being the most successful and most independent that they can be.” Zoe Zborowski, a senior at Staten Island Technical High School, was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. Refusing to speak to other children and hating the idea of school, Zoe attended private school through eighth grade. Then, Zoe was accepted into Staten Island Tech. “When I was very young, I had all kinds of services — I had OT [occupational therapy], PT [physical therapy], speech counseling, and at the point I am now, all I have is extra time on tests and in-school counseling,” said Zoe, to a round of applause. “I was accepted into Staten Island Tech, and of course, I was very excited, but I was also extremely nervous, because my whole life, I thought I was unable to handle that kind of rigor and intensity.” Zoe is now thriving as a senior in high school in both academics and extracurricular activities, as well as working with PS 37 students who host a café through a work-based learning partnership at Staten Island Tech. It’s inspired Zoe to look into a career as a school psychologist. “Staten Island Tech has offered me a lot of things, but most of all, it’s instilled a mindset I never had previously — that a label or disability doesn’t define my capabilities, and I’m capable of doing anything,” said Zoe. In addition to presentations from parents of students in special education, attendees were able to speak with vendors and collect resources. School bands from Port Richmond High School and Paulo Intermediate School (I.S. 75) also performed during the event.
